


I Sleep to Dream

by Loveislove87



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Mean Kyle, Soulmate AU, Teenage Malex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:35:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22486444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveislove87/pseuds/Loveislove87
Summary: Alex dreams of a beautiful, far away place with beautiful people. Maybe dreams come true.
Relationships: Michael Guerin & Alex Manes, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 11
Kudos: 91





	I Sleep to Dream

The first time Alex had a dream, he was fourteen.

It had been a particularly rough night at the Manes house; two of the boys having to stand outside in the rain holding bricks for an hour after not finishing their dinner. Alex had come back inside, shivering and furious, desperate to run away and completely aware that he didn’t have the means to.

He’d grabbed a towel from the bathroom and dried himself off as best he could with shaking hands, throwing on the warmest pajamas he owned. That hadn’t been the worst punishment he’d ever received from his dad, but it felt different tonight. It felt more personal.

And it left him feeling vulnerable.

As he laid in bed, watching red, neon numbers slowly tick the night by, the tears slid out and fell down his cheek. Eventually, exhaustion took him.

But it took him to the most beautiful place he’d ever seen.

He was in what he could only describe as a palace. It was all glass, with gold trim and marble floors. Everything looked regal and grand but warm and somehow welcoming. A loud noise broke through the silence, scaring him into hiding behind a sculpture he had practically knocked over. On his left, a group of soldiers appeared. They didn’t appear to be carrying any weapons, but they dressed in golden armor matching that of the great room. On his right, a door swung open, at least ten stunning people entered, dressed in clothing that seemed to be moving for each person, complimenting their bodies completely.

Two people stood on top of a dais, a tall man with a golden crown and a statuesque woman, blonde hair to her waist and glowing flowers decorating her hair. With a nod of the woman’s head, the army yelled out in unison and split down the middle. Between the two groups, a man appeared who had Alex practically walking out to the middle of the room for a closer look.

He wore a helmet, golden of course, that wrapped around his forehead and down his jaw. His armor was similar to the other soldiers, the exception being the inscriptions on the torso, a language Alex didn’t recognize.

“My brother,” the crowned man announced with open arms. After a quick embrace, the two men separated, allowing the regal woman to step forward. She brought long fingers under the warrior’s chin and lifted his head up. “Did you find what you were looking for, Commander?”

With a quiet laugh, the man removed his helmet, revealing curls and the most remarkable eyes Alex had ever seen. The man’s jaw was sharp, and his mouth held humor despite the power he clearly possessed.

The man smiled and looked directly at Alex who stopped breathing.

“I did.”

*******

A few years later, when Alex meets Michael Guerin and his siblings, he runs away.

Not so much running as walking quickly and trying not to panic.

Later, when Maria and Liz questioned him about what happened, he made up some bullshit story about having a stomachache and going home early.

He had no idea what he was supposed to say.

T _hat’s the man I’ve dreamed of? I saw them in my dreams? I think they’re royalty?_

He’d sound like a lunatic.

So, he did the most logical thing he could. He avoided all three of them at all costs.

Until he couldn’t.

“Alex, right?”

He closed his eyes tight and kept walking, praying he wouldn’t walk into anything and that he wouldn’t pass out.

“Alex, wait!”

Trapped, he stopped and took deliberate, deep breaths. He turned slowly, brows furrowed and heart racing.

“Hi. I’m Michael. Guerin. I’m in your chem class.”

Alex nodded with a small smile as he tried to inconspicuously avert his gaze. Every time he caught sight of those hazel eyes and free curls, he pictured a man draped in gold, chest puffed in pride, a look that saw right through him.

“Um, anyway,” Michael cleared his throat and Alex wondered how long his mind had wandered as he stood in front of his literal dream man. “Your friend, Liz, suggested I talk with you about getting some notes for class. I’m a little behind since we came in late.”

With shaking hands, Alex twisted his backpack to his front and dug for the notebook he needed. “Here you go,” Alex said as evenly as he could.

Michael smiled, taking the notebook and Alex’s heart with it. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. I hate feeling lost.”

Alex made a sound of agreement. “I get that.”

He looked up through his lashes and found Michael staring at him, head tilted slightly in puzzlement. Quickly shoving his backpack into place, he smiled and said, “see ya around,” and practically jogged out of the school.

****

That night he was brought back into the golden world. This time he found himself in a bedroom, ornate and, he thought boldly, a bit gaudy. A huge bed with soft linens and far too many pillows were the focal point of the room. Large windows looked over what appeared to be a lake but offered waves like the ocean in a stunning teal blue. A fire roared in a marble-like fireplace but, from his quick glance, Alex saw nothing that should make it glow.

The large door opened suddenly, and Alex threw himself behind a curtain, holding his breath. Michael had entered with a sigh, looking tired and worn. Alex was overwhelmed with the desire to take care of him; wash off the day, remove his uniform, rub sore muscles into comfort. He brought his hand to his throat and swallowed, concerned about how dry he suddenly felt.

Michael sat at the end of the bed and removed what appeared to be a gold crown. He held it in his hands for a while, moving it this way than that, before shaking his head and placing it beside him. With a groan he stood and moved to a large mirror hanging on the wall. Slowly, he removed his clothing; a gold and white jacket that seemed to glow wherever Michael touched it and matching pants. His large black boots, something Alex thought looked something like he would wear back in Roswell, looked odd with the outfit but he assumed was mostly practical.

Alex realized, a bit late, that he was watching Michael take his clothes off in the privacy of his bedroom. He closed his eyes, praying to the sleep gods that he’d wake up, when a soft, heartbreaking sound forced his eyes open. Michael had moved to the edge of the bed, beautiful covers thrown to the side as though he’d intended to rest, but he held his head in his hands, fingers curling tightly in his hair, and sobbed.

Without his permission, his feet began to move. He was so drawn to this man, this king, or God, he couldn’t stop himself. Wondering briefly if he was even real in this world, he reached out a shaking hand to place softly on Michael’s damp cheek.

Without looking up, Michael moved his hand to cover Alex’s, leaning into the comfort he brought. After a moment, he twisted his head to place a kiss to Alex’s palm. Michael’s hand felt strong and rough from, what he imagined, were many battles fought, and hopefully won. In this moment, he wanted nothing more than to hold Michael close and whisper reassurances and love.

Michael stood slowly while Alex froze in awe.

Michael was so beautiful.

Hands came to cradle Alex’s face while Michael rested his forehead against Alex’s, his eyes closing in comfort.

“You’re my light. You’ve always been my light.” He lifted his head and smiled sadly at Alex. “Please don’t leave me in the dark.”

******

Alex was most definitely no longer avoiding Michael. He walked around each day with the ghost of Michael’s touch on his face, his breath caressing his cheeks. Michael’s words reverberated around his head day in and day out. He found himself looking for any excuse to be in Michael’s presence, across a room, standing a few people behind him in the cafeteria, timing his exits just right to bump into him in the hallway.

Alex’s fear and confusion over who Michael was and why he had dreamed of him had morphed into an overwhelming need to be near him.

To his frustration, Michael didn’t seem to notice. Outside of a few meager attempts at small talk, Alex had felt unseen.

It was a dreary Wednesday morning following a particularly challenging Tuesday night at home. He had put on some of Liz’s concealer trying to cover the darkening bruise around his eye, his friend tearing up as she kept repeating, “it’s too dark. It doesn’t match.” He gave her a hug and a kiss to the head, providing the reassurance he wished he had.

Standing at his locker, a picture of Brendon Urie staring back at him, he heard Kyle’s voice before he saw him and tensed in preparation. Alex vividly remembered his adventures with Kyle; tree forts and getting lost in the woods, campfires and scary stories. He adored Kyle, looked up to him. His friend had always been so kind. Any animal that was hurt, any tears Alex spilt after his brothers pushed him around, the panic he felt when his mom left, Kyle was there with a soft voice and kind words, always knowing what to do.

Then puberty hit and Kyle’s growing need to be accepted outweighed his friendship with Alex. His gay friend, Alex.

Now, as he closed his eyes and waited for the abuse to begin, he thought of the Michael from his dreams. Strong and brave, he’d keep him safe from the bullshit.

Someone would care about him.

“Nice outfit, Manes. Only one you own?”

He stood up straight, shoulders back and chin raised. His bravado dropped when he found Kyle wasn’t alone. About four of his jock strap buddies were standing behind him, laughing and smirking while they shared their one remaining brain cell.

Today, Alex decided, was not a good day for a fight. A throb in his eye reminded him that he’d seen his fair share of violence over the last twenty-four hours; he could use a break. Silently, he closed his locker and tossed his backpack over his shoulder.

One minute he was walking forward, the next he was being pulled back and thrown onto the floor. As the five assholes stared him down, he realized with horror, that he was on the verge of tears. He couldn’t understand why people couldn’t just leave him alone. For years he longed to be seen, for someone to notice him and care about him. Now, he just wanted to vanish into the scuffed, dirty tile.

“Hey. Hey!”

Alex had shut his eyes as he waited for the first kick to come but, when he opened them, his curly haired angel kneeled next to him with concern on his face. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

Alex looked around, confused but relieved. The group of boys had scattered, Michael was kneeling next to him trying to get him to sit up and Isobel and Max Evans were leaning casually against the nearest set of lockers, watching closely.

Without taking his eyes off Michael, Alex shook his head. “No, I’m okay. Thanks.”

Michael smiled and helped him stand.

Brushing away the crap he’d gotten on his clothes, Alex tried to think of something to say. He hadn’t been this close to Michael in a while and found himself breathing a little easier with the safety he felt.

“I think we should talk. Away from school.”

Alex nodded, falling defenselessly into the stunning hazel staring at him.

With a smile and a nod, Michael said, “meet me at the UFO Emporium at 6, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

Before he walked away, Michael took Alex’s hand in his and squeezed gently. Alex watched him go, his siblings taking up the rear like they were used to moving in formation.

Alex’s hand felt warm, a tingling sensation radiating slowly from his fingertips into his wrist and then on to his forearm. When he looked down, he was glowing, a subtle shade of orange. His heart raced as excitement flooded him.

Time for answers.

******

It was 4:30 when Alex arrived at the Emporium. He’d gotten home after school, all nerves and adrenaline, which immediately caught his father’s attention. Before he had to answer any questions or simply annoyed Jesse with his presence, Alex had headed right back out.

He let his mind wander as he sat on the warm pavement, feet in front of him knocking a stone around. What did Michael want to talk to him about? Was he having dreams, too? Were they the same? Or was Alex some kind of king in his dreams? What about the glowing? Had Michael felt that, too?

What the fuck did it all mean?

He grabbed a granola bar from his backpack and started snacking, feeling a little nauseous from the rapid-fire thoughts.

“Hey.”’

Coughing, Alex looked up at an apologetic Michael, haloed by the sun setting behind him. He’d never looked more beautiful.

Once he gained his breath and swallowed the offending bite, he whispered a, “hey” in return and stood up.

Indicating the doors with his head, Michael headed inside the building, hands buried in his jean pockets. Alex took another deep breath, refusing to acknowledge how shaky it was, and followed him in.

They stood together in one of the display rooms, a geo exhibit featuring moon rocks and alien debris. Alex rolled his eyes, banking on the fossils being a bunch of plastic shit behind well lit glass.

He was beginning to feel more nervous and unsure of where this conversation would lead. The doubt was slamming into him in waves; this could have absolutely nothing to do with the dreams or the weird, glowing hand magic. Maybe he was just losing his damn mind.

Before he passed out, Alex cleared his throat and started with the benign. “So, uh, thanks again for earlier. I’m sure I would have—”

“Have you had some odd dreams, Alex?”

With his mouth still open, Alex nodded. Michael sighed and ran his hands through his hair, turning so his back was to Alex.

“You glow.”

With a raised eyebrow, Michael looked over his shoulder. “Excuse me?”

Feeling a spark of confidence, Alex stepped forward. “When you touched me earlier. My skin turned orange. Well, like an orange, yellow type color. But I glowed.”

“Fuck.”

Michael looked disappointed and Alex’s stomach sank. He didn’t want to make Michael upset. He’d felt nothing but an aching desire to make him happy for weeks now even though he stamped it down as best he could.

“I’m sorry, Michael.”

Seemingly confused, Michael asked, “for what?”

Alex shrugged, looking toward the exit and wondering if Liz would let him sleep over tonight so he didn’t have to be alone. “I just didn’t mean to upset you.”

“This is just so complicated, Alex.”

A fluorescent light buzzed, and a clock ticked from another room. Through his doubts and confusion, Alex had accidentally held onto hope; hope that the dreams actually meant something, that _he_ meant something. That hope vanished with the slope of Michael’s shoulders and the way his gaze stayed focused on the floor.

He fished out his phone from his back pocket and headed dejectedly for the exit, pulling up a message for Liz when a hand on his backpack held him in place.

He bit his lip, angry with himself for getting emotional. Alex shook his head and said, “just let me go, Guerin. I clearly misunderstood, okay?”

But when he glanced over his shoulder to try shaking off Michael’s hold, he found that the other boy hadn’t shifted at all; he remained in the exact same spot.

“Wh-what?”

Walking forward with his head held high and shoulders back, Michael radiated a confidence he had never outwardly shown. In this world, anyway.

“Are you afraid of me, Alex?”

Shifting his weight to test if the hold was still in place and discovering its grip gone, he turned and shook his head.

“No.”

“If I told you the dreams are real? Are memories? _My_ memories?”

Alex searched his eyes, looking for a lie but came up with nothing. Feigning calm, he shrugged. “I’d have a lot of questions.”

“And what if,” Michael stepped in so close they were chest to chest, Alex resisting the urge to simply fall into him, “what if I told you that there’s a reason you’ve been having those dreams?”

He thought about it and smiled, feeling nothing but warmth and kindness roll off Michael. The warrior Alex saw in his dreams stood before him, but he wasn’t intimidated. He felt at peace.

A shaking hand reached out and took hold of Michael’s, his thumb moving gently over the rough skin. Together, their hands came to life, a new variety of colors dancing across their skin and spreading up their arms.

Their eyes met and Michael’s smile left Alex weak. He leaned in, resting his forehead against Alex’s. “Where I’m from, this is only possible once in a lifetime. With only one other.”

Alex wrapped his arms around Michael’s waist as Michael’s nails scratched comforting patterns into his scalp.

“I’m your light.”

With a sigh and a mutual feeling of returning home, Michael nodded.

“And I’m yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm @captainsassmanes on tumblr


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